


911, What's Your Emergency?

by atlasdam



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Language (like one word), M/M, This is a happy endings only zone, Very brief mutual pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 21:25:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15373641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atlasdam/pseuds/atlasdam
Summary: Therion had a weird relationship with Dr. Albright. He was nice and helpful and professional, if a little talkative, so it was nothing personal. Therion had a weird relationship with many people in his life. It was just that none of the other weird ones had Olberic factor into it.At least Alfyn was always there for him.Modern AU, fluff





	911, What's Your Emergency?

Therion had a weird relationship with Dr. Albright. He was nice and helpful and professional, if a little talkative, so it was nothing personal. Therion had a weird relationship with many people in his life. It was just that none of the other weird ones had Olberic factor into it. 

He knew on an intellectual level that his former foster parent was dating his former anthropology professor and that he had accidentally catalyzed their meeting somehow. He knew he would have to come to terms with it eventually - he was a grown man almost out of university. But this was a _confrontation_.

Therion stood paralyzed by the sounds filtering through the closed door of Cyrus’s office, laptop straining under the force of his grip. 

“Ol-Olberic…” 

“Shh...”

A sigh, and… then… 

Then a higher force seemed to finally take pity on Therion. He regained control of his limbs and tore out of the building.

\--

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” Alfyn said cheerfully. Therion put his phone on speaker and thunked his head on the kitchen table loudly enough for Alfyn to hear.

“I overheard Olberic and Cyrus fucking in the office or… or... something. I just wanted to borrow one of Cyrus's three hundred stupid globes. How could they do that when _one_ of them had to know I was probably on campus? Help me brainstorm.”

Therion heard a chuckle and the sound of rustling paper from the other end. Alfyn was studying. 

“Don’t laugh! If this memory is going to stay with me for life, I might as well use it.”

“What, like blackmail? Are you going to make them buy you stuff? Olberic’s practically your dad already, Therion.” 

“ _Be of help_ ,” he hissed. “They violated my boundaries.” 

Therion could hear Alfyn barely holding back a laugh, probably wanting to say something along the lines of how this was actually the other way around, he should’ve checked Cyrus’s office hours beforehand. It was quiet for a minute between them. Therion imagined Alfyn stretching like a cat in his chair after spending hours hunched over his notes.

“Okay, well. I feel pretty good for the biochem exam tomorrow. Wanna get ice cream? Maybe I do have an idea.”

\--

“It makes sense. Just give ‘em a taste of their own medicine, y’know?” Alfyn chomped his ice cream bar in half, making Therion wince.

“Were you talking with Prim? Because that’s exactly the kind of advice she would give,” Therion grumbled. “Besides, no sane person on earth would agree to be a fake couple with me just so I can get revenge on my not-dad for having a sex life, even if it’s with my professor from last semester.” He paused. “I might have overreacted a little.” 

“There you go,” Alfyn grinned. “I’m glad you came around. You’re usually underreacting!” 

Convenience store lights didn’t flatter many people, but Therion secretly thought Alfyn looked good under any lighting. Alfyn was just a great person like that. 

Not a lot of people wanted to become doctors just because one treated their pneumonia for free at the tender age of seven. Sometimes Therion got thoughts about an apartment for the two of them, how easy it would be to live together. Nice white curtains. Plants on the balcony. Maybe a dog, maybe a cat. Things neither of them had growing up. He wanted to get into social work. Anything that'd support Alfyn through medical school.

The vision was so vivid that it took Therion a moment to register that Alfyn was looking at him too. He hoped he looked less… yearning than he felt. He didn’t want to ruin what they had. 

“Hey, uh, Therion? I think I'm possessed,” Alfyn’s voice was suddenly high and panicked. “But I was thinking…”

“Alfyn?” He was triggering Therion's own fight-or-flight response.

“I, uh, wanted to bring this up for a while. With you. Well, you’re graduating and moving out from Olberic's house this year - congrats, by the way - and so are most of my roommates. Graduating, that is. I get it if this is way too forward but I've been saving up money and I haven’t asked anyone else about staying with them yet because… I actually really like you and I wanted to ask you first, how you thought about… living together? A not-fake couple? Not-fake roommates? Maybe it could work out?”

\--

Alfyn would tease him for a long time about how Therion dropped his ice cream in utter shock, and Therion would tease him back about how that was the worst confession he had the misfortune of hearing. Things did end up working out, though. Olberic and Cyrus both cried at their wedding eight years later.

The first apartment they moved into was a bit shabby and the landlord didn’t allow pets. There was no balcony, just a fire escape. The view wasn’t great but they could afford it. Therion fit in a potted plant or two around the place. And the neighborhood was quiet. 

It was their start. It was perfect.


End file.
